In mild, humidity-free conditions, the men’s race started fast. A lead pack of 10 athletes reached the first mile mark in 4:39, with a robust second group about seven seconds back. Not one of these men was showboating, as runners began to drop back only in the third and fourth miles, and then trailed the leaders by mere yards. At four miles, six men remained in contention for the win, and only in the final few hundred meters did the frontrunner, Bado Worku Merdessa of West Side Runners (WSX), gap Westchester Track Club’s (WTC) Stephen Chemlany. Worku Merdessa broke the tape in a blistering 23:13, Chemlany took second in 23:15, and Worku Merdessa’s teammate Tesfaye Girma was another three seconds behind.
It was the third NYRR race victory for Worku Merdessa, 20, who burst onto the local scene in June.
With seven runners in the top 11, WTC easily took the open team title and extended their historic dominance of this race. The result advanced WTC from fifth place to third in the team-points standings to date. The New York Athletic Club (NYAC), who placed third in the race, managed to retain their series lead, though WSX, the runner-up team in the race, now trails NYAC by only six points in the standings. These shifts promise much excitement ahead in the remaining four team-points contests.
In the 40+ masters division, Warren Street Social & Athletic Club (WS) won by a large margin and retained their sizable series lead. Urban Athletics (UATH) placed second to hold onto their second-place position in the standings, and Central Park Track Club (CPTC) grabbed third.
CPTC easily took the 50+ title today and pulled to a near-insurmountable lead in the standings. Behind them in second was WSX, but it wasn’t quite enough to lift them in the series standings; Front Runners New York (FRNY), fourth today, holds onto the second-place spot, with WSX in third.
The 60+ title today went to the indomitable Taconic Road Runners (TRR), who outdistanced the second-place Korean Road Runners Club (KRRC) and third-place Rockland Road Runners (RRR).
With an overwhelming show of both speed and depth, the women of NYAC dominated their race. In a field of 499 very competitive women, NYAC had nine runners among the first 17. The times of the top five NYAC women totaled 2:23:06—five minutes and 34 seconds less than the next-fastest team, Running Divas New York (RDNY). This means that the women of NYAC were more than a full minute faster, on average, than the women of the city’s next-best team over the five-mile distance.
At the sound of the starting horn, Muliye Gurmu of WSX sprinted off the line and instantly put a gap of 20 meters on the rest of the field, which was led by a phalanx of red-and-white-clad NYAC runners and one slender African runner in the vest of WTC. Salome Kosgei, a native Kenyan who graduated from Iona College in 2007, ran a smooth, controlled race, catching NYAC’s Abbi Antablin and Gurmu near the two-mile mark and then taking command of the race at three miles. “I followed them for a while,” said Kosgei afterward. “I always felt good, and at three miles, I decided to go.” She moved inexorably away, and as she rounded the final downhill curve on Central Park’s East Drive with about 300 meters left in the race, no other runner was in view. Kosgei won by 32 seconds in 27:28. Antablin followed in 28:00, Gurmu held third in 28:12, and then the NYAC onslaught commenced.
The Manhattan-based NYAC squad had held a 75-56 lead over CPTC in the yearly points standings going into the Team Championships; owing to the double-points format, NYAC has now extended that lead to 105-76. CPTC held onto second place overall with their third-place finish today, but RDNY gained ground on them with their runner-up showing here.
In the women’s 40+ division, WS fielded an unbeatable threesome of Christine Glockenmeier, Bea Huste, and Jean Chodnicki-Stemm (the fastest 50+ woman at 33:21); GNY followed in second, and RDNY strengthened their hold on the overall lead, finishing third but ahead of top rival CPTC (fourth).
The TRR 50+ women came out of nowhere (they’d stood ninth in the yearly standings) to shock the major powers, CPTC, GNY, and the New York Flyers (NYF), with their four-minute victory margin. CPTC’s second-place showing moved them past NYF into the yearly lead, and GNY’s third place here kept them in that position on the year. But if TRR’s Emmy Stocker, Nancy Bailenson, and Lee McLaughlin keep this up, those positions will soon be shuffled again; their team has jumped to fifth.
CPTC’s 60+ women leapfrogged over the Mercury Masters (MERM) in the overall standings with a big win today, but the Millrose Athletic Association women, second today, maintained their top spot.
The Team Championships race is distinguished by more than just fast performances. Most of today’s more than 1,300 runners didn’t finish in team-scoring positions, but they ran with an effort that seemed to exceed that seen in ordinary weekly races. What brings out the best at the Team Champs?
“It’s about being out here, being here with your team, even if you’re not going to score,” said Adria Gallup-Black of RDNY, who finished in 46:34.
That spirit of dedication is further evidenced by the throngs of spectators lining the course, many of whom also wore their team colors with pride. “I’m injured, but I’m here to support my team,” said Valerie Raffle of the New York Harriers. “I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to see everyone—and of course there’s our amazing post-race picnic.”
And so, as runners relaxed and refueled, they continued to savor the special atmosphere that surrounds this race. “Today’s all about the runners, all about the teams,” said NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. And they know it.
FULL RESULTS
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